Open DESKTOP files in your browser
The launchers behind every Linux app menu. See what one would run, right here, without running it. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your shortcut opens as where it points, with nothing run or opened.
- Where it points • A web address opens after it asks
- What opening it runs, shown as text
- Windows, Mac and Linux shortcuts alike
- Nothing in it ever runs
About DESKTOP
freedesktop.org's Desktop Entry standard, used by GNOME, KDE and the other Linux desktops, puts each app in the menu through a small .desktop file. Apps install them, and they also travel in archives and downloads.
A .desktop file is text in groups of keys: the app's name in each language, a comment, an icon, its categories, the command to run with Exec, and extra actions like New Window. A link launcher points to an address instead.
Filepeek shows the name, the icon's name, the categories and, under Opening it runs, the command and each action's command, as text. Nothing runs, so it's a safe way to check a launcher you downloaded.
Desktop Entry
.desktop
Format
- MIME type
- application/x-desktop
- Made by
- freedesktop.org
Inside the file
- Runs
- A command, with Exec
- Keeps
- Name, icon and categories
- Actions
- Extra commands for the menu
- Markup
- Plain text in groups
Opens in every browser
Browsers download or show desktop files as text. Filepeek shows what one runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Questions
How do I see what a .desktop file runs?
Drop it on this page or press Peek a DESKTOP. Opening it runs shows the command as text, and nothing runs.
Is a downloaded launcher safe?
Check its command. A launcher for an app you installed runs that app. One that runs a shell with a long line, or fetches something from the web, is a warning sign.
Can I see the plain text too?
Yes. Text shows the file as it is, line by line.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The file opens inside your browser and never leaves your device.